The void twisted around them, the rails groaning like the bones of a dying world. Evelyn clung to the lantern, even though it was long dead, her knuckles white, her face streaked with tears.
Leo stood a few steps away, staring into the endless dark. His veins glowed faintly beneath his skin, pulsing in rhythm with the train's heart. Every throb made him twitch, like a puppet on invisible strings.
"Leo," Evelyn whispered, her voice trembling. "Stay with me. Please. Don't listen to it."
He turned toward her, his expression unreadable. Then he smiled—a crooked, tired smile. "You don't get it, Evelyn. I've been listening since the start. That's why I'm still alive."
The void shimmered, and a shape emerged from the dark: a door. Not wooden this time. This one was wrought iron, jagged, rusted, dripping with something black. It pulsed with hunger instead of warmth.
The whispers hissed through the air:"Step through, Leo. Claim your place. Become more than prey. Become us."
Evelyn staggered forward, shaking her head furiously. "No! That's not escape—it's corruption! It'll eat you alive!"
But Leo only laughed, his voice breaking into something sharp, almost manic. "Better to be part of the monster than food in its gut."
He stepped closer to the iron door. The glow in his veins flared brighter, spreading up his arms, crawling across his face. His skin rippled as if the train was already beneath it, reshaping him.
Evelyn screamed, running to grab him, but the floor split open, veins shooting up like chains, dragging her back. She thrashed, clawing, shrieking his name. "LEO! DON'T DO THIS! YOU'RE STRONGER THAN THIS!"
He paused for a heartbeat. His eyes softened—just for a moment. The boy he used to be flickered through the cracks.
Then his voice dropped, layered with the train's echo."No, Evelyn. I'm stronger because of this."
He gripped the iron handle. The door shrieked open, spilling darkness so thick it seemed to drink the air.
Leo stepped through.
And the door slammed shut, vanishing like smoke.
Evelyn fell to her knees, bound by the veins, sobbing in the black silence. She was alone now. Alone with the train.
The heart pulsed once, slow and thunderous."One left."